GST victory of integrity, celebration of honesty, says Modi
New Delhi, June 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that information technology has replaced the 'Inspector Raj' under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), as he termed the first year of the indirect tax regime as a "victory of integrity, celebration of honesty and a symbol of cooperative federalism".
In the 45th edition of his monthly radio address 'Mann ki Baat', he credited states with "successful" implementation of the 'One nation, one tax' reform, saying people of different ideologies have taken part in its 27 meetings but its decisions have been unanimous.
In his address, Modi took a veiled dig at the opposition while referring to his "greatest satisfaction" at seeing people transform their lives through the video bridge programmes in which he interacted with beneficiaries of government schemes.
"There are certain people in society, who find no solace till they do not express their frustrated views, their depressed views and seek ways to divide rather than unite. In such an environment, when the common man comes to you talking about emerging hope, new zeal and events that have taken place in his life, it is not to the government's credit," he said.
Modi also credited Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee with laying a strong foundation for country's industrial development in his capacity as Independent India's first Industry Minister.
The Prime Minister also invoked Sant Kabir and Guru Nanak to derive home the message of social harmony and brotherhood.
Pointing out that 2019 would mark the 550th Prakash Parv (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, Modi urged his followers to think about ways in which this historic occasion should be celebrated.
"Guru Nanak Dev wanted to end caste discrimination in society and to embrace entire mankind as one. He used to say that to serve the poor and the needy was to serve God," he said.
Recalling the sacrifice made by freedom fighters at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, he said: "We must also remember the everlasting message that this incident has imparted, that is, violence and cruelty can never solve any problem. It is peace and non-violence, renunciation and martyrdom that are triumphant in the end!"
On GST, Modi said that although it was estimated that in a country as vast as India, it would take five to seven years for the "world's biggest tax reform" to get streamlined but it has stabilised in just a year, and under it Information Technology had replaced 'Inspector Raj' as everything from return-to-refund was being done online with little manual interference.
Modi said he had interacted with 40-50 lakh people, including farmers and beneficiaries of government schemes through his video bridge programmes, and that it imparted him with new strength.
He said an incident regarding a small girl from a remote village too can inspire the 125 crore people.
"With the help of technology, through the video bridge even a single moment spent with the beneficiaries was very enjoyable, very motivational and provided satisfaction to work more. There is a renewed joy in dedicating your life for the upliftment, and you're left with renewed fervour and inspiration."
Modi greeted doctors on Doctors Day on July 1 and recalled efforts of corporate professionals and IT engineeers in Bangalore in creating 'Samridhi Trust' through which they had doubled income of farmers.
Recalling India-Afghanistan cricket match in Bengaluru earlier this month, Modi said: "I will cherish the match for a special reason. The Indian team, while receiving the trophy, invited the Afghanistan team to pose together for photographs. This incident exemplifies the very spirit of sportsmanship."
Referring to the International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21, Modi hoped more and more people will come forward to make the practice a part of their lives.
He said the event presented some of "the rarest of sights" as hundreds in the European Parliament in Brussels, in the UN headquarters in New York and on the Japanese naval warships practiced yoga 'asanas'.
He said country's soldiers performed yoga in submarines, snow-clad mountains and even in the air, some 15,000 feet above the ground.
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Former rapper Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party heading towards landslide victory in Nepal
Kathmandu (PTI): Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah's newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was on Saturday heading towards a sweeping victory in Nepal's first general elections since the violent Gen Z protests, shattering the dominance of established political parties in the politically fragile nation.
According to the Election Commission's data available from 161 of the total 165 constituencies, the RSP has won 27 seats with a clean sweep in all 10 constituencies of Kathmandu district in the elections held on Thursday.
The Nepali Congress has secured victory in five seats, the Nepali Communist Party has won two seats and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) has won one.
The RSP is leading in another 97 seats, the Nepali Congress, the Nepali Communist Party and CPN (UML) are leading on 10 seats each, while Shram Sanskriti Party is leading on five. Others are leading on two seats, according to the Election Commission figures till 10 am.
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Balendra Shah, who was the mayor of Kathmandu till recently, has secured 39,284 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency against four-time prime minister and CPN-UML chair K P Sharma Oli in the latter's stronghold. Oli has received 10,293 votes so far.
Popularly known as 'Balen', the 35-year-old engineer is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. Nepal has had 14 governments in the last 18 years.
The election is being closely watched by India, which hopes for a stable government in the politically fragile Himalayan nation to take forward the developmental partnership between the two sides.
"We look forward to working with the new Government of Nepal to further build on the robust multifaceted ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in Delhi on Thursday.
He said India has "consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal and in keeping with our commitment, provided logistical supplies as per request from the Government of Nepal for these elections".
Out of a total of 275 members of the Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportionate method.
In the Nepal elections, about 18.9 million voters were eligible to elect 275 members of the House of Representatives, with around 60 per cent of them turning out to vote on Thursday.
Around 3,400 candidates are vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through proportionate voting.
The Gen Z youth, through their two-day intensified protests on September 8 and 9 last year, ousted Prime Minister Oli, who was heading a coalition government with the backing of Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support.
Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the Oli-led coalition government.
But Balen declined to lead the interim administration, saying he would rather head the government by contesting the parliamentary election for a full term.
In January, he joined the RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, and was soon declared the party's prime ministerial candidate. The RSP received significant support during the campaign.
Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa was the prime ministerial candidate of his party, whereas the CPN (UML) projected Oli as its PM face. Both Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) were part of the government toppled by the Gen Z last year.
According to the Election Commission, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won from Rukum Purba district. He secured 10,240 votes against his rival Lilamani Gautam of CPN (UML), who got 3,462 votes.
After Oli's ouster, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as the caretaker PM.
The major issues raised by Gen Z are anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, generational change in political leadership, etc.
